Age Appropriate Coaching

Improved Essays
Age-Appropriate Coaching: A Dance Perspective.
There are many factors to keep in mind when coaching any type of sport. A specific factor that absolutely must be adhered to is age, which influences many performance capabilities both physically and psychologically (Crocker, 2011). In consequence, all coaches must adjust their instruction in order to maximize success of athletes. I have had the opportunity to work with youth from ages three to fifteen in a dance setting, which, after many failures, has taught me how to teach in accordance to age category. Throughout my experiences working with youth, I have noticed that in order to create an age-appropriate setting a coach must not only modify the content of the class, but also the environment in which they teach. Technique Whether the students are in kindergarten or high school, there are several constant factors that must be in place in order to have a successful dance class. The coach must present these aspects in an age-appropriate fashion. One of the most important factors in a dance class is technique (Rivers, 2011; Nunes, 2006). Young children may not understand the benefits of an outright plié, so presenting technique in the form of a game will help them to willingly engage. Games such as Simon says or follow the leader will allow the students to have fun while practicing fundamental motor skills. In my experience, I have noticed that older students tend to be the opposite. Adolescents are typically able to grasp the importance of technique although the process of honing simple motor skills bores them (Fortin, 2002). In order to develop and maintain their focus, I have had to find ways to make a basic plié more interesting. An example of this is using a song that is widely liked or creating the exercise in a way that gives the opportunity for freedom and creativity. Presenting technique in a way that best suits the age category will ultimately help to maximize success while upholding a level of enjoyment. This is especially important since enjoyment is the main reason youth of all ages develop
…show more content…
The way a coach can go about creating a comfortable environment depends largely on the age category. The easiest way to do so with children is to physically be on their level. Sitting on the floor with young students will help them to feel more comfortable than say, sitting on a stool at the front of the studio (Woolfolk & Brooks, 1983). Another way that a coach can create a comfortable learning environment is by actively participating in the activity. This is especially important for adolescents. During their teenage years students are in constant pursuit of peer approval and may be unwilling to participate (McElhaney, Antonishak & Allen, 2008), especially since certain dance movements can be considered vulnerable or odd. If they see that someone either than them is executing the movement, they will feel more comfortable doing so as …show more content…
This is surprising considering the incredible spectrum of ages that participate in the art of dance. Understandably though, there is extensive research regarding age-appropriate teaching in academic education. My recommendation for future research would be to do a longitudinal study applying research founded in a school setting to a dance context. Comparing the way students learn in various settings would establish whether or not age-appropriate academic teaching is applicable in more than just scholastic environments. I believe that the findings, whether there be similarities or differences in the way students learn, would revolutionize how coaches teach the art of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Rennie Harris, known by many as the ambassador of hip-hop community brings something very different to the table. Rennie Harris is more than a hip-hop artist. He is the interpreter of hip-hop as a cultural ritual, one that celebrates his community’s core values and heritage, and invokes its innate spirit, says scholar and dance critic Suzanne Carbonneau. In 1992 Harris founded Rennie Harris Puremovement, in his hometown of Philadelphia. Harris uses his style, referred to on RHPM’s website as“hip-hop dance theatre,” to be an activist in the community and promote dance, particularly hip-hop, to all ethnicities as an outlet for human expression, attempting to cleanse the genre of its stigma in todays society.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The focus is on adjusting social and environment variables and improving learning environment. This is accomplished by routines, teaching social skills, play area clearly marked, and…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, Competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and Every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” — Coach Vince Lombardi Sports has been an intricate part of cultures and societies in many different ways dating as far back as to prehistory. In fact, the first Olympics can be dated back to 776 BC taking place in Olympia, Greece. Sports have been used in society for many different reasons.…

    • 2576 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In conclusion taking on different roles as a coach effects the style of coach a person is. It is important to choose the right style of coach for the age group and personalities…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “When your music begins, you will be in competition mode.” I took a deep breath, it was showtime. I was introduced to the world of competitive dance in August of 2011 and ever since, dance has been the outlet for all of my emotions. I started off as a shy little girl who hid in the corner, barely extending her limbs as I attempted to mock those in front of me. As time elapsed, I persevered through challenging ten hour practices and the taunting of my peers.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Essay On Harriet Tubman

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “Harriet Tubman: Dancing on the Freedom Trail” Standards: Social Studies Standard 4-6, Indicator 4-6.2: Explain the contributions of abolitionists to the mounting tensions between the North and South over slavery, including William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Brown. Grade 4 Dance Standards 3: Understand dance as a way to create and communicate meaning. Objectives: 1. The student will be able to (TSWBA) explain and communicate the emotions and contributions of Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist, in the mounting tensions over slavery through an original dance routine created in cooperative groups.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1. The sport and level I chose is based on the age and sport in which I coach. I chose basketball and the age of my athletes will be 10 or 11 year olds, which would be 5th or 6th grade. They are at a beginner level, which means they either never played basketball before or have 1 year or less under their belt. 2.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As an adult I still play competitively and for the last 15 years have coached at the University and High School levels and I have found that truly investing in the success of others is a daily necessity. Teamwork is vital and having a collective objective is the basis for being a Transformational Leader; motivating subordinates using the common goal through, encouragement, support and respect to achieve the desired result is the ultimate target. Coaching is in general top- down and whether it is in athletics or business a transformational leadership style can be a “salient feature to attract and retain members who have similar characteristics in teams (Ehrhart & Klein, 2001; George, 1990; Schneider, 1987).…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Personal Narrative Ever since I was 6 I have been a part of a team called “The St. Jude Performance Team” and our main goal is to raise money for children who are sick with cancer. We are the only St. Jude Performance Team in the world. We meet every sunday and we have a show every year in March. Being a part of this team has made me into a better person, it taught me not to be selfish and to appreciate everything I have.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Youth sports have been a very popular recreation in America. It allows kids to have the chance to play a sport at a young age. However, many of the kids only play a single sport, and the types of adults that either spectate or coach youth sports are mainly split into two opposing sides. One half helps the kids to succeed in the sport they are playing and let the kid choose if they want to play that sport, and the other half force the child to play a sport that they may not like and gravitate towards the child’s every mistake like a moth to a flame. This can cause many problems for the child and can often be overwhelming.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I believe in cooperative style of coaching using empathetic and attentive communication to create a positive learning environment. I emphasize self-awareness, personal discipline, faith, and relationships plus teamwork with a growth mindset. I target analytical, creative, and practical intelligence in order for my students to retain knowledge with a complete understanding so that they can adapt during setbacks, failures, or while recovering from an injury. I believe in using refined cognitive-behavioral skills, sound judgment, critical thinking, and conservative decision-making to increase self-confidence, motivation, energy management, and communication. I intertwine mental training tools and skills with positive leadership and interdisciplinary…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction The influence that leaders exert to their subordinates has been the subject of much empirical research. Leadership influence is an important element in any type of team organization: the government sector, private corporations, educational organizations, the military, and even sports to name a few. Several theories have emerged through the years to explain how it is that leaders influence their subordinates. One of the latest theories is the leader-member exchange theory (LMX).…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Therefore, administrators and coaches must plan for reasonable supervision particularly where there is a foreseeable risk of injury to participants. In the context of athletics, reasonable supervision denotes how a trained coach would act under a similar situation (Rosenthal, 2004). Consequently, coaches must carefully evaluate each situation and decide if adequate supervision exists. In this evaluation process, coaches need to consider factors like “age, skill, experience, judgment, and physical condition of participants and the activity involved” (Cotton and Wolohan, 2012, p.169). For instance, coaches would need to use close individualized supervision when introducing complex skills like a new dive or a new gymnastics routine.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Coaches have the power to change lives. I can humbly say this as all my coaches, both good and bad, have taught me in some way what it takes to be a good athlete and most importantly how to be a good human being. They have taught me life lessons that I can only hope to preserve by instilling them into my athletes in my time as a coach. The articles I have chosen to highlight in this essay show how coaches have helped to develop character in athletes, how they pushed them to be the best on and off the field of play, and illustrate how they stepped into the lives of athletes and became so much more than just a coach.…

    • 1577 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The formation of dance has lived on this world for many generations as we continue to pass through history. When I went to the wonderful performance at Pierce College I experienced a whole new perspective on dancing. The concert had many types of students performing mixed dance projects of all types like solos and duets. There was an average size of one to eight dancers per project which made it the ideal size for the concert. I really enjoyed the creativity and effort put into this performance.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays